Things I Can Only See Up North

Jun. 18th, 2025 12:58 pm
jesse_the_k: Flannery Lake is a mirror reflecting reds violets and blues at sunset (Rosy Rhinelander sunset)
[personal profile] jesse_the_k

I’m up near Rhinelander staying on Flannery Lake. I’ll be reveling in 15:45 hours of daylight on the summer solstice. Today there’s zero wind, while the second-growth white, yellow, and red pine trees are pumping out their jizz with enthusiasm. The lime-yellow grains appear darker as they overlay almost every square inch of the water, with wild swirls and eddies that extend many feet off shore until eventually the black surface reflects many puffy cumulus clouds in a light blue sky.

Lovely to look at, but not so great to breathe. At least we're not bedeviled by wildfire smoke.

click for pic )

Maybe free

Jun. 18th, 2025 08:27 am
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
I spent most of yesterday assuming today I'd be Hazel's hospital taxi. This was not a good thought. I hate the drive and I'm not wild on her dependence on me. She has two grown sons and one grown daughter in law who live nearby... But, finally last night about 8, she came in to give me an update. They were still testing stuff with John but his spirits were good. Her son brought her home and her daughter in law escorted her up to her door. And they were going to be her hospital taxi today. So, whew.

She's kind of a mess. Not in a pearl clutching way but more in a confused and also severely diminished eyesight kind of way. This has also pointed that out to her. "I never used a cellphone because why? John's always there and he does it. Bad move." But, it is nice to know (for me, her sons, her husband and her) that she is in a place with options if she needs them.

So today is mine. Thank you. There is a Food and Beverage committee meeting this afternoon. The first since they fired the long time chef and hired a new one. Should be interesting.

I put in a work order the other day because the door to my apartment squeaks so loudly that I was afraid of complaints from downtown every time I opened the door. I had WD-40'd the hinges and nada. But, turns out, I just needed a professional. Yesterday, Jorge (who is one of the nicest guys) came and did just what I did but did it way better because now I can sneak out in the dead of night and no one will ever know. I love not owning my home!!

I think after Scott and Julie leave next week, I'll go back to dolls. I should be about out of Pride yarn by then anyway. And nearly out of Pride month.

20250616_170751-COLLAGE

(no subject)

Jun. 17th, 2025 09:08 pm
neekabe: Bucky from FatWS smiling (Default)
[personal profile] neekabe
I ended up answering a handful of work calls over the weekend. It wasn't a big deal because my plans were 'sew' but because of the afore mentioned eye issues, I was doing that in fits and spurts. But my boss told me to take Monday off in lieu which was nice.

It meant I had easy time to swing by the optometrist and get the prescription they made on Friday. I agree I shouldn't get a proper pair of glasses until things settle, but I figured I could look into getting a cheap pair of online glasses, because it's getting annoying.

Discovered that the main change is that the astigmatism went from -0.5 to -2.00 which is a significant change. And it's annoying because that was my 'good eye' for reading without my glasses on.

Anyways went to one of the online glasses places and discovered if I was willing to pick from a very limited selection and not t care about thin lenses, I could get a pair of glasses for $35, and that includes rush shipping and anti-glare coating. So those should be here next week and should help with the vague headaches lurking on the edges of my brain. I don't know how long it'll be before I see the specialist or how long this will be a valid prescription, but for $35 I don't have to wear them long to be worth it.

Interuptus

Jun. 17th, 2025 01:28 pm
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
Volleyball was really good this morning. We had a good crowd of fun players and lots of laughs. Then, home to breakfast and coffee. I was nearly finished with both when Hazel came in with a face that was in total distress. She said John and fallen in the shower and they had just taken him away and could I please take her to the hospital.

Turns out, thankfully, he had not fallen but had come close and nearly lost conciseness. The parametics said it was likely dehydration. She wasn't entirely sure which hospital and her son could not get to her until after 11 (this was 8:30). So we made a plan. We found out the hospital. I grabbed my shit, she grabbed hers, we got her and her walker into the car and off we went.

She was not frantic just worried to bits. I was really glad she had gotten me instead of trying to figure it out on her own, Plus, I had zippity on for this morning so not a problem.

The hospital was the same one that I took Myrna to all those times so at least not a black hole. It's an easy-ish trip until you get close and then it's a nightmare. But we made it And found easy parking and got right in to John who was awake and alert and not frantic. Now they were thinking heart. I stayed until Hazel had talked to their son to find out he was on the way. Then I came home. Now I am in the elbow while my house cleaner does her magic.

Hazel did call a few minutes ago to say that they were keeping John overnight and Keith (son) would get her home. (Whew on not having to go again. I'm over that drive.)

So that's my excitement du jour. I did remember, on my way home, to pop into UPS with my Amazon return. Go Me.

music: A Wistful Satellite Song

Jun. 17th, 2025 10:33 am
jesse_the_k: Photo of Pluto's heart region with text "I" above and "science" below. (I love science)
[personal profile] jesse_the_k

I’ve been a Karine Polwart fan for decades, which led me to her recent collaboration with Julie Fowlis and Mary Chapin Carpenter. "Looking for the Thread" mixes Scots Gaelic and US country and a little bit of rock’n’roll.

I was moved by this farewell from the POV of a dying satellite—can you tell me if this matches an actual satellite that circled our planet?

Stream here on YouTube )

Or on SoundCloud or on Spotify.

Lyrics in the cut )

gentlyepigrams: (food)
[personal profile] gentlyepigrams
At the last minute last week we got an email about Uchiko Plano having a Father's Day omokase so I got us a reservation. I documented what we ate on my instagram starting with the special menu.

When we started eating at Uchi and Uchiko when we moved to Austin almost 20 years ago (yikes) Uchi was more formal and Uchiko was more casual. Not that Uchi was ever really formal, just that the level of service was more formal and the menu was a little more upscale. Now that there are Uchi and Uchi variants everywhere, they all have a kind of personality, and Uchiko is the one with the wood grilled bold flavors.

This was our first time at the Plano Uchiko; it's less than a year old, IIRC. Our foodie friends from Austin were not impressed with it for an early try-on. It's still stumbling a little in the service: our dishes arrived out of order, we got an extra dish and a second dessert for the delay, and with a 7:45 reservation we had to rush to get our car out of valet hock at 10 pm. The food, however, was amazing and up to standard. The highlight was the duck confit, but everything was very good.

I would go back to Uchiko again, but I would park and walk so I could get my own car if they ran late and it would definitely be a Monday or Tuesday night kind of thing in the hopes that a slower evening would improve the order of food from the kitchen. That said, we're also very happy with making Uchiba our regular spot in the Uchi kingdom, so it's not a high priority. We have a list of sushi places we want to eat on our list and maybe Uchiko will come back after we've tried some of the ones new to us.

FAPA blues

Jun. 16th, 2025 08:39 am
elf: A typewriter with a single page with the word "Story" on it. (Typewriter)
[personal profile] elf
Got the most recent FAPA mailing, #351. It's fewer than 60 pages. While we're up to 21 members I think (I don't have it with me right now) - up from the 14-ish when I joined a few years ago - the page count has dropped recently, possibly in part because the Org Editor can no longer print people's entries for them. (He retired and no longer has access to the work printers.) So the overseas members are no longer sending in quarterly submissions.

defining terms )

FAPA's contribution requirement is 8 pages a year, which can be 1 double-sided sheet of paper per quarter. This was not particularly onerous even in the days of hectographs. It is, however, apparently enough of a hassle that several current members only technically meet it - sending in that single sheet a quarter, and it's only a page and a half, and it's in 14-pt type and includes a picture covering a quarter of the page. If there were still a waiting list, they'd be bumped for failing to meet the contrib requirements. Since there hasn't been a waiting list this century, this is not an issue.

There are scans of some past mailings (or rather, parts of them) and scans of Fantasy Amateur, the official org zine (aka, the index & list of members), which stops right at the point where membership started dropping below the max of 65.

...Anyone want to join a venerated scifi institution that's been fading since the dawn of the WWW?

Requirements:
* Send 25 copies (currently) to the OE, minimum 8 pgs/year; can be sent quarterly, annually, or anything in between. More details inside )

Monday

Jun. 16th, 2025 07:43 am
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
Friday night, Ethel asked me if I wanted wine or water 'or we have some tonic and lime' and pointed to glasses set up that looked delicious and refreshing so I opted for tonic and lime. And now, of course, I'm hooked. I do enjoy a good gin and tonics but I like most alcohol, while I enjoy the taste, I do not enjoy the effects. Plus who needs the extra calories anyway? For some reason it never occurred to me to just leave out the gin. So tonic and lime is my new, refreshing, Summer beverage.

I went out yesterday to buy some tonic and to make an Amazon return and then remembered, after I had left, that the UPS shop was closed for father's day. So I still have that errand to do. But, still no hurry.

There are workers out on the patio this morning but they are working very quietly :) There are several tables set up for eating so someone must be having a lunch or dinner out there today. Tis the season. My friend, Steve, gathers folks for dinners on Thursdays out there. I can watch from my table. I keep thinking I'll join them sometime but on Thursdays I usually find a million reasons why I'd rather not. Starting with... eating outside?? I've never understood the allure. It's way cooler and more pleasant in here and... no bugs.

I have nothing on the agenda today. So that's probably what I will do. More Clarksons Farm and more Pride dolls. I need to build up an inventory for when I'm not knitting next week. My New Zealand friends arrive on Sunday.

Even with nothing on the agenda, it would be good if I got dressed.

Sunday

Jun. 15th, 2025 07:45 am
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
Turns out that last night's dinner was kind of a tradition for the two couples. Ethel and Gary, who live here, have Seattle Symphony tickets with Jan and Dick, who don't live here... yet. Dick and Jan come over and have dinner as guests of Ethel and Gary and then Dick (the only one of the four who still drives at night), drives them to the concert.

So last night, they added me and Beth Box into the mix. Beth was another friend of Myrna's (and of both couples) who moved in here about six months after I did. So the six of us had a delightful dinner. They closed the dining room ('staffing shortage' again) so we all got dinners to go and had it in Ethel and Gary's apartment which was just lovely.

Dick and Jan did finally get their house on the market and had an offer in 3 days and are closing the first week in July so they will be moving into Myrna's apartment very soon.

Today is baseball, knitting, and laundry. I might go out. I have an Amazon return and I'd like a couple of things at the grocery BUT nothing really that can't wait so maybe not. Next week has plenty of opportunities for stuff like that.

Julio has this toy that he is addicted to. It needs to be charged and I forgot to charge it last night and it's just run out of juice and he's having a hard time dealing with it. For the last 5 minutes, he's just been lying there staring at it. He gets all anxious when I plug it into the charger. But, it looks like that's going to have to happen. Sorry, buddy.

PXL_20250615_145829300

Oh, good, he just went into the bedroom. Time to plug it in.

Eyes are stupid

Jun. 14th, 2025 12:17 pm
neekabe: Bucky from FatWS smiling (Default)
[personal profile] neekabe
So about a month ago ago I slept with the window open and woke up with one eye all pink and irritated. It improved with allergy pills and warm compresses and was resolved within a day so I figured allergy season and something irritated it.

Also occasionally I wake up with pain like something is in my eye, but it always resolved quickly and I figured it was just like... eye crusties or something irritating in the morning. I occasionally used drops for dry eyes and just decided it was a body thing

But in the past two weeks I noticed a significant decline in my left eye and usually my eyes get worse at a nice slow predictable pace until I'm like 'I think I used to be able to see that?' and schedule an appointment. Or I hit my usual 2 year insurance cycle.

Right now time the right eye is still fine, but the left eye is blurry at all distances, so I took myself to the eye doctor who said 1. I have dry eyes and I should be using said drops more often than 'occasionally' and 2. There is some variation on the surface of the eye that's causing the fun new blurryness and increase in astigmatism. He's not worried about it but is going put in a referral for a specialist to make sure it's not early signs of something.

The fun bit is that the eye drops and possible treatment will likely improve my prescription from the one I got yesterday, though not resolve it entirely (he was hesitant to say it's permanent, but I am expecting my eyes to just slowly degrade over my life so it's not that terrible). But I can't actually focus with one eye now and I'm getting noticable astigmatism shadows, like someone has copied an image and shifted it an inch or so with fainter opacity. Which is annoying. So I'm debating getting a cheap online pair of glasses for like however long this is going to take and then paying proper funds for actual glasses once it settles? I'm not sure.

But last night I put in special thick nighttime eye drops and woke up without pain. So now I have another step to my nighttime routine to go along with the mouthguard for teeth grinding and moisturizer to keep my face and hands from drying up and falling off, and my bonnet to keep my curly hair in some reasonable condition... *sighs*

Saturday

Jun. 14th, 2025 08:49 am
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
Protests, graduations, COVID - they all got together and decimated our volleyball turnout. But four of us lamely tried for an hour. It was ok. It would have been more fun had not the asshole been one of the four and he decided to leave after 30 minutes. Four worked. Three didn't. We gave up.

Elbow coffee is still an hour away.

The other day when I was at Trader Joes, I got some heirloom tomatoes, an onion and some Persian cukes and yesterday I chopped them all up into biggish pieces, added salt and pepper and a little balsamic dressing and popped it into the fridge. Dinner from the buffet was turkey and dressing and mashed potatoes and I added my chopped concoction and OMG was it all delicious. PLUS there is enough left of everything for another entire meal and then some.

But it won't be tonight. I got a text from Ethel asking me if I could join her and Gary and Jan and Dick for dinner tonight! YOU BETCHA!! They are all the best friends of Myrna. Gary plays volleyball with us (and was one of the four this morning) and Ethel is his wife and they are both delightful. Jan and Dick are the couple planning to move into Myrna's apartment. All four of them have been so kind to me and are just fun, nice, people. I'm delighted to be their fifth wheel. Plus, I want an update of the moving situation. And they are early birds so dinner will be at 4:45 which suits me just perfectly.

Periodically, I check on my cousin's house in Oklahoma City. BUT Google hasn't updated the street view since before he died. And, of course, the real estate sites have no info. I'm sure the people who bought it will tear it down or already have. So I keep checking. This morning I got the bright idea to check Reddit. Yep, there is an OKC sub so I posted an ask for someone who's driving by to snap a photo. I already got a response from some who who says they work very near there and can do it! Very cool.

My New Zealand friends sent me a video this morning of a bear and two cubs crossing the road in front of them on their way west to Whistler. I do love that they saw them. Love that she was fast enough to whip out her phone and capture the video but most of all I am so grateful to live in a time when that is not only possible, it's normal!! (the video not the bears)

Ok, now I need to get dressed. Ingrid may go to elbow coffee in her nightgown and robe but not me.
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